April, 07 2011, 11:34am EDT
Stop the Corporate Takeover of Organics
Send Your Comments to the National Organic Standards Board
CORNUCOPIA, Wis.
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), which advises the Secretary of Agriculture on organic policy and rulemaking, is considering several changes to the USDA's organic standards that would water down organics, catering to corporate interests.
We cannot allow corporate-backed members of the NOSB to chip away at the integrity of the label. The following proposals are highly objectionable. Please comment on them through www.regulations.gov (complete instructions below).
Synthetic Additives
The proposal would allow any synthetic additive that qualifies as a "nutrient" to be added freely to organics, even those that have never been tested for safety by the FDA. Currently, organic law requires all synthetic additives, including nutrients, to be individually petitioned, carefully reviewed and approved by the USDA before they can be added to organics.
Message to the NOSB: Reject the Handling Committee's proposal regarding nutrient additives. Nutrient additives must be individually petitioned, reviewed and approved as safe and appropriate for organics before they can be used, as the law currently requires.
Already, some companies are illegally adding a synthetic form of DHA omega-3 (from algae) and ARA omega-6 (from soil fungus) oils to organic food, including organic infant formula. These additives have been linked to serious gastrointestinal reactions in some babies and toddlers.
More information: An action alerton this topic was sent out in late March. If you already sent in your comments--Thank You! If you haven't already commented, please do so today.
Space for Chickens
Factory farms, with as many as 100,000 birds in a building, that do not have legally mandated access to the outdoors, would be shut down if new strict rules are put into place.
The good news is that the NOSB Livestock Committee proposal would outlaw the tiny enclosed porches that industrial-scale producers had been illegally calling "the outdoors."
But our struggle for meaningful animal welfare standards is not over! The committee caved once again to industry pressure--proposing outdoor space requiring just 2 ft.2 per layer and 1 ft.2 per broiler! In the European Union, organic standards require at least 43 ft.2 per bird outdoors and the US leading organic brand, Organic Valley, affords their birds 5 ft.2 outdoors.
2ft.2 and 1 ft.2 is simply not enough for birds to have meaningful outdoor space where they can exhibit their natural behaviors (like running around and "foraging").
Furthermore, the proposal would grant 1.2 ft.2 indoors for laying hens and 1.0 ft.2 for meat birds, which is no better than the current industry standard for factory farms, and certainly inadequate for organics. Many legitimate organic farmers currently provide 1.5 ft.2 of indoor space for their laying hens.
Message to the NOSB: Please resist pressure by the industrial-scale producers to reduce the outdoor space requirements for chickens any further. When I buy organic eggs and chicken, I expect that the birds were raised with ample access to real outdoor runs--5 ft.2 should be the bare minimum!
More information: Watch the video and read Cornucopia's report, Scrambled Eggs. A complete action alert on the NOSB's proposal for organic poultry is also available.
Indoor and Outdoor Space for Growing Pigs
The Livestock Committee's proposed space requirements for growing pigs are so small, even standards set by the National Pork Board--which is controlled by industrial hog producers--are more generous! The proposed space requirements would make it impossible for growing pigs to turn around in their bedded indoor space, with even less space outdoors.
Message to NOSB: The proposed space requirements for growing pigs are woefully inadequate. If organic standards are going to be the gold standard in terms of animal welfare, growing pigs should be granted more space than what is currently proposed.
More information: A complete action alert for organic hogs is available.
Indoor Space for Dairy Cows
The opposite is true for dairy cows. The latest proposal for indoor space requirements is so overly generous that it could essentially put thousands of family-scale dairy producers out of the organic business.
Many small-scale organic dairy farmers use stalls in their barns to position the cows and direct their manure away from their bedding. The proposed space requirements would have cows lying in their own excrement. Most family farm producers would have to build new barns to meet these space requirements--a capital investment that many could not afford, forcing them out of the organic business.
Message to NOSB: A previous recommendation, which had been accepted by the full NOSB, already requires stall barns to provide one full, traditional stall per animal. Therefore, indoor space requirements for dairy producers with stall barns are unnecessary.
More information: A complete action alert for organic dairy cows is available.
Take Action
Please submit your commentelectronically before the April 10 deadline.
We strongly recommend submitting two separate comments--one for nutrient additives and one for animal welfare. Also remember that a message in your own words carries more weight than cutting and pasting the sample letter, so please personalize your message, at least at the beginning and end if possible!
And your message doesn't need to be long to be effective.
Tell your family and friends to submit their comments as well!
To speak in person at the NOSB meeting (important if you can make it):
In addition to sending their written comments, organic farmers and consumers living in the Seattle area, or willing to travel, are encouraged to also sign up for a five-minute speaking slot at the meeting at the end of April. Individuals can find more information about the meeting, and can pre-register for a slot by April 10, 2011, by visiting https://www.ams.usda.gov/nosbseattleslots or by calling (202) 720-3252.
Please email cultivate@cornucopia.orgor call 715-514-2627 if you are planning on attending the Seattle meeting.
Sample Letter for Consumers
Unregulated Synthetics/Animal Welfare
Dear Members of the National Organic Standards Board,
Thank you for your efforts in setting animal welfare standards for organically raised farm animals. I appreciate the clarification that organic laying hens and meat birds be required to have outdoor access beyond a tiny, lifeless enclosed porch.
However, I have some concerns about the proposed stocking rate chart.
For chickens, the current proposal does not grant enough space. Please require more outdoor space for chickens, since birds cannot run around freely in outdoor runs if they only have 1 ft.2 or 2 ft.2 Many producers already grant much more outdoor space, and 5 ft.2 should be the bare minimum in the organic standards.
Please resist pressure by the industrial-scale producers to reduce the outdoor space requirements for chickens any further. When I buy organic eggs and chicken, I expect that the birds were raised with ample access to real outdoor runs. And indoors, birds should have at least 1.5 ft.2 of space (1.2 ft.2, the agribusiness standard for uncaged birds, is inadequate).
For growing pigs, the proposed stocking rate would not allow pigs to even turn around inside, and they would not all fit in their outdoor space. The space requirements for growing pigs must be increased.
For dairy cows, the proposed indoor space requirements would make it impossible for thousands of family-scale organic dairy producers to comply. Since a previous recommendation already requires one traditional stall per animal, indoor space requirements for dairy producers with stall barns are unnecessary.
Furthermore, I strongly object to the inclusion of any synthetic nutrient ingredient in organic food without the careful review by the NOSB, which is legally mandated.
Please do not water down the working definition of organic agriculture and food production!
The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit farm policy research group, is dedicated to the fight for economic justice for the family-scale farming community. Their Organic Integrity Project acts as a corporate and governmental watchdog assuring that no compromises to the credibility of organic farming methods and the food it produces are made in the pursuit of profit.
LATEST NEWS
Defeating 'MAGA Dark Money,' Summer Lee Wins Primary in Landslide
"This is a huge testament to our collective strength and resilience as a progressive movement," said the executive director of Justice Democrats.
Apr 24, 2024
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, a member of the progressive "Squad," won the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District on Tuesday, fending off an opponent whose campaign was backed by a billionaire Republican megadonor and ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Lee, a vocal critic of the Netanyahu government and leading supporter of a cease-fire in Gaza, handily defeated Bhavini Patel, a borough councilmember in Edgewood, Pennsylvania whose effort to unseat the progressive incumbent was bankrolled by Jeffrey Yass, the state's richest man. Patel actively courted Republican and pro-Israel voters, characterizing Lee as "fringe."
With more than 95% of the vote counted, Lee is ahead of Patel by more than 20 percentage points.
"I am so humbled and proud to win my first primary reelection to be the congresswoman for this incredible district I've spent my life fighting for," Lee said after the race was called in her favor. "Our campaign was built on a record of delivering for our democracy, defending our most fundamental rights, and expanding our vision for what is politically possible for our region's most marginalized communities."
"Our victory is a rejection of right-wing interests and Republican billionaires using corporate super PACs to target Black and brown Democrats in our primaries—be it AIPAC or Moderate PAC or any other MAGA billionaire in Democratic clothing," Lee added. "Western PA is the blueprint for the future all of America deserves."
Opposing genocide is good politics and good policy. #CeasefireNOWÂ https://t.co/A7pnJNskWS
— Summer Lee (@SummerForPA) April 24, 2024
Through the misleadingly named Moderate PAC, Yass—a prolific tax dodger who has been floated as a possible treasury secretary pick if former President Donald Trump wins another term—spent hundreds of thousands of dollars boosting Patel and attacking Lee.
Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn Political Action, said that by ushering Lee to victory, residents of Pennsylvania's 12th District "soundly rejected MAGA dark money."
"MoveOn members are ready to defeat this dangerous flood of dark-money spending against progressive champions and ensure that we continue to elect working-class people to Congress," said Epting.
"Now that it's clear Summer won her primary, AIPAC's super PAC has already officially failed at their one goal for this cycle: taking out the entire Squad."
During her 2022 campaign, Lee faced and overcame huge spending by the powerful pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC via its super PAC, the United Democracy Project. But the organization opted to stay on the sidelines this time around, even as it plans to spend $100 million to defeat progressives in this year's cycle amid growing public opposition to Israel's war on Gaza.
"They had every intention of spending in this race—but they didn't, because they realized they would likely lose," Justice Democrats executive director Alexandra Rojas wrote in an email late Tuesday. "And that is because all of us had Summer's back and supported her campaign to out-organize AIPAC in every way."
"This is a huge testament to our collective strength and resilience as a progressive movement," said Rojas. "Now that it's clear Summer won her primary, AIPAC's super PAC has already officially failed at their one goal for this cycle: taking out the entire Squad."
While AIPAC ultimately sat out the Pennsylvania race, it is devoting considerable resources to ousting other progressive lawmakers, including Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.).
The pro-Israel lobbying group has endorsed Bush challenger Wesley Bell, calling him a "strong advocate for the U.S.-Israel relationship." As The Guardianreported last week, Bell has "raised more than $650,000 in earmarked contributions through the group Democracy Engine Inc. PAC—a donation platform that allows unpopular PACs to obscure their donations and lists AIPAC as a client on its LinkedIn page."
AIPAC is the largest donor to Bowman challenger George Latimer, who has supported Israel's war on Gaza and denied that Israel is committing genocide. The Democratic primary for New York's 16th Congressional District is on June 25.
We must be clear-eyed about what's next. @JamaalBowmanNY & @CoriBush are facing an existential threat from AIPAC, their GOP megadonors, and the politicians willing to compromise on core Democratic values to try to take a school principal & nurse out of Congress. #ProtectTheSquad
— Justice Democrats (@justicedems) April 24, 2024
Michele Weindling, political director of the youth-led Sunrise Movement, said Tuesday that following Lee's victory, "we're ramping up to take on AIPAC in Jamaal Bowman's race."
"With a candidate like George Latimer willing to sell their lies to the district, we are going to prove once again that a politician's commitment to their community beats dark money every time," said Weindling. "Whether it's in Pittsburgh or New York, Minneapolis or St. Louis, our generation is going to send billionaires packing and reelect the squad."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Critics Blast 'Reckless and Impossible' Bid to Start Operating Mountain Valley Pipeline
"The time to build more dirty and dangerous pipelines is over," said one environmental campaigner.
Apr 23, 2024
Environmental defenders on Tuesday ripped the company behind the Mountain Valley Pipeline for asking the federal government—on Earth Day—for permission to start sending methane gas through the 303-mile conduit despite a worsening climate emergency caused largely by burning fossil fuels.
Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC sent a letter Monday to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Acting Secretary Debbie-Anne Reese seeking final permission to begin operation on the MVP next month, even while acknowledging that much of the Virginia portion of the pipeline route remains unfinished and developers have yet to fully comply with safety requirements.
"In a manner typical of its ongoing disrespect for the environment, Mountain Valley Pipeline marked Earth Day by asking FERC for authorization to place its dangerous, unnecessary pipeline into service in late May," said Jessica Sims, the Virginia field coordinator for Appalachian Voices.
"MVP brazenly asks for this authorization while simultaneously notifying FERC that the company has completed less than two-thirds of the project to final restoration and with the mere promise that it will notify the commission when it fully complies with the requirements of a consent decree it entered into with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration last fall," she continued.
"Requesting an in-service decision by May 23 leaves the company very little time to implement the safety measures required by its agreement with PHMSA," Sims added. "There is no rush, other than to satisfy MVP's capacity customers' contracts—a situation of the company's own making. We remain deeply concerned about the construction methods and the safety of communities along the route of MVP."
Russell Chisholm, co-director of the Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights (POWHR) Coalition—which called MVP's request "reckless and impossible"—said in a statement that "we are watching our worst nightmare unfold in real-time: The reckless MVP is barreling towards completion."
"During construction, MVP has contaminated our water sources, destroyed our streams, and split the earth beneath our homes. Now they want to run methane gas through their degraded pipes and shoddy work," Chisholm added. "The MVP is a glaring human rights violation that is indicative of the widespread failures of our government to act on the climate crisis in service of the fossil fuel industry."
POWHR and activists representing frontline communities affected by the pipeline are set to take part in a May 8 demonstration outside project financier Bank of America's headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Appalachian Voices noted that MVP's request comes days before pipeline developer Equitrans Midstream is set to release its 2024 first-quarter earnings information on April 30.
MVP is set to traverse much of Virginia and West Virginia, with the Southgate extension running into North Carolina. Outgoing U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and other pipeline proponents fought to include expedited construction of the project in the debt ceiling deal negotiated between President Joe Biden and congressional Republicans last year.
On Monday, climate and environmental defenders also petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, challenging FERC's approval of the MVP's planned Southgate extension, contending that the project is so different from original plans that the government's previous assent is now irrelevant.
"Federal, state, and local elected officials have spoken out against this unneeded proposal to ship more methane gas into North Carolina," said Sierra Club senior field organizer Caroline Hansley. "The time to build more dirty and dangerous pipelines is over. After MVP Southgate requested a time extension for a project that it no longer plans to construct, it should be sent back to the drawing board for this newly proposed project."
David Sligh, conservation director at Wild Virginia, said: "Approving the Southgate project is irresponsible. This project will pose the same kinds of threats of damage to the environment and the people along its path as we have seen caused by the Mountain Valley Pipeline during the last six years."
"FERC has again failed to protect the public interest, instead favoring a profit-making corporation," Sligh added.
Others renewed warnings about the dangers MVP poses to wildlife.
"The endangered bats, fish, mussels, and plants in this boondoggle's path of destruction deserve to be protected from killing and habitat destruction by a project that never received proper approvals in the first place," Center for Biological Diversity attorney Perrin de Jong said. "Our organization will continue fighting this terrible idea to the bitter end."
Keep ReadingShow Less
'Seismic Win for Workers': FTC Bans Noncompete Clauses
Advocates praised the FTC "for taking a strong stance against this egregious use of corporate power, thereby empowering workers to switch jobs and launch new ventures, and unlocking billions of dollars in worker earnings."
Apr 23, 2024
U.S. workers' rights advocates and groups celebrated on Tuesday after the Federal Trade Commission voted 3-2 along party lines to approve a ban on most noncompete clauses, which Democratic FTC Chair Lina Khansaid "keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism."
"The FTC's final rule to ban noncompetes will ensure Americans have the freedom to pursue a new job, start a new business, or bring a new idea to market," Khan added, pointing to the commission's estimates that the policy could mean another $524 for the average worker, over 8,500 new startups, and 17,000 to 29,000 more patents each year.
As Economic Policy Institute (EPI) president Heidi Shierholz explained, "Noncompete agreements are employment provisions that ban workers at one company from working for, or starting, a competing business within a certain period of time after leaving a job."
"These agreements are ubiquitous," she noted, applauding the ban. "EPI research finds that more than 1 out of every 4 private-sector workers—including low-wage workers—are required to enter noncompete agreements as a condition of employment."
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has suggested it plans to file a lawsuit that, as The American Prospectdetailed, "could more broadly threaten the rulemaking authority the FTC cited when proposing to ban noncompetes."
Already, the tax services and software provider Ryan has filed a legal challenge in federal court in Texas, arguing that the FTC is unconstitutionally structured.
Still, the Democratic commissioners' vote was still heralded as a "seismic win for workers." Echoing Khan's critiques of such noncompetes, Public Citizen executive vice president Lisa Gilbert declared that such clauses "inflict devastating harms on tens of millions of workers across the economy."
"The pervasive use of noncompete clauses limits worker mobility, drives down wages, keeps Americans from pursuing entrepreneurial dreams and creating new businesses, causes more concentrated markets, and keeps workers stuck in unsafe or hostile workplaces," she said. "Noncompete clauses are both an unfair method of competition and aggressively harmful to regular people. The FTC was right to tackle this issue and to finalize this strong rule."
Morgan Harper, director of policy and advocacy at the American Economic Liberties Project, praised the FTC for "listening to the comments of thousands of entrepreneurs and workers of all income levels across industries" and finalizing a rule that "is a clear-cut win."
Demand Progress' Emily Peterson-Cassin similarly commended the commission "for taking a strong stance against this egregious use of corporate power, thereby empowering workers to switch jobs and launch new ventures, and unlocking billions of dollars in worker earnings."
While such agreements are common across various industries, Teófilo Reyes, chief of staff at the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, said that "many restaurant workers have been stuck at their job, earning as low as $2.13 per hour, because of the noncompete clause that they agreed to have in their contract."
"They didn't know that it would affect their wages and livelihood," Reyes stressed. "Most workers cannot negotiate their way out of a noncompete clause because noncompetes are buried in the fine print of employment contracts. A full third of noncompete clauses are presented after a worker has accepted a job."
Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC) executive director Mike Pierce pointed out that the FTC on Tuesday "recognized the harmful role debt plays in the workplace, including the growing use of training repayment agreement provisions, or TRAPs, and took action to outlaw TRAPs and all other employer-driven debt that serve the same functions as noncompete agreements."
Sandeep Vaheesan, legal director at Open Markets Institute, highlighted that the addition came after his group, SBPC, and others submitted comments on the "significant gap" in the commission's initial January 2023 proposal, and also welcomed that "the final rule prohibits both conventional noncompete clauses and newfangled versions like TRAPs."
Jonathan Harris, a Loyola Marymount University law professor and SBPC senior fellow, said that "by also banning functional noncompetes, the rule stays one step ahead of employers who use 'stay-or-pay' contracts as workarounds to existing restrictions on traditional noncompetes. The FTC has decided to try to avoid a game of whack-a-mole with employers and their creative attorneys, which worker advocates will applaud."
Among those applauding was Jean Ross, president of National Nurses United, who said that "the new FTC rule will limit the ability of employers to use debt to lock nurses into unsafe jobs and will protect their role as patient advocates."
Angela Huffman, president of Farm Action, also cheered the effort to stop corporations from holding employees "hostage," saying that "this rule is a critical step for protecting our nation's workers and making labor markets fairer and more competitive."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular